[VSS]

Ove the last 6 years or so, our wool crop has consistently been around about the 350kg mark, give or take 20 kg or so.Yesterday OH took the wool in to the depot and it weighed in at 532 kg.
 
 We haven't increased our sheep numbers or changed breed or anything really, and the wool isn't wet - any ideas why this huge increase in the yield? Nearly 50% more.
 
 We have sorted out some fairly major trace element problems in the last couple of years - could this be a contributing factor?

[Bionic]

Dot, sheep are very new to me so I haven't really got a clue but could it be that the weather has been so bad that they have grown thicker coats?
Sally

[FiB]

Interesting -  and how did you know which mineral deficancy you had?

[Deere]

We have had some soil samples done and plan to have some blood samples taken soon on the farm i work on as we are keen to see just where we are at when it comes to trace elements.

Get the basics right and the rest all falls into place...... we hope!

Healthy animals equals better returns, so that linked with a colder, longer winter who knows?

Just a thought, did you weigh the fleece in previous years or were you told the weights? just a thought......

Tim

[landroverroy]

Just a thought, did you weigh the fleece in previous years or were you told the weights? just a thought......

Tim

Haha - what a suspicious mind you have Tim   But it does seem the most obvious explanation for a sudden 50% increase in weight.

[woollyval]

Very interesting! All I can add, from many years involvement with wool is very healthy sheep have very good dense fleece......however a 50% increase is surprising....and I wonder if you have had accurate weights .......but I wouldn't complain as its more money not less!

[SallyintNorth]

Fleece being wet is the usual reason for variation in weight at this stage; they weigh them again when they sort them, so any water weight gets taken off at that time.

If it isn't wet, which you say it isn't - and presuming you have the same number of sheep clipped in there - then the next thing that occurred to me is, is it the same time of year or has your clip been delayed by the weather?

Then things like, were there the same number of ewes who've bred lambs and hoggs who haven't; your lambing percentage similar this year to last - anything that would affect how hard the ewes have worked on things other than growing fleece.  And is the average age of your flock the same or younger - although I'm not sure I think younger sheep grow more or less fleece than older; hoggs' fleeces are usually thicker, of course, as it's their first fleece and over 12 months' growth.

After that, we have to look at pay (feed) and conditions.  If their minerals have been corrected over previous years, that could certainly account for it - being healthier (for this or any other reason) would leave them more resources to put into wool growth, plus sheep that have been sick have often lost some or all of their wool by the time they get clipped, so if you've had less sheep being ill, having pregnancy or rearing problems, their fleeces would be better than in previous years.

There is of course a possibility that it's reaction by the sheep to the two previous very severe winters.  We haven't noticed a difference in our sheep - but the proof will be the submission weight.  We're booked in for next week, I'll let you know if it's similar or much different to previous years.